Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 6776
NGC 6776 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Pavo, 255.4 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Pavo |
| Distance | 255.4 million light-years (78.29 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 137,300 light-years · 1.6 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −22.25 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 12.22 |
| Luminosity | 3.5 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 19h 25m 19.2s |
| Declination (J2000) | −63° 51′ 37″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 12.22. Visible from the whole Southern Hemisphere and north to latitude 26° N. South of latitude 26° S it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in July, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 255 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,529.7 billion years.